How to learn how to sing

How to learn how to sing

How to Learn to Sing: Teach Yourself with 12 Simple Steps

Exercise Your Voice

Sing Better if You Think You Are Bad

Improve Your Singing Voice Without Taking Singing Lessons

Become a Better Singer

Know if You Can Sing

Warm Up Your Singing Voice

Learn Head and Chest Voice in Singing

Warm up Your Voice

Prepare to Sing

Become a Good Singer Without Lessons

Learn to Sing Bass

Become a Soprano When You’re an Alto (for Females)

Become a Bollywood Singer

Sing and Dance at the Same Time

Sing Like Justin Bieber

Learn to Sing Pop Without Getting a Teacher

How to Sing Better: Tips for improving your singing

Congratulations, you’ve made the decision to take on one of the most notable roles in a band: the singer. But before you attempt to reach the extremities of your vocal range like Freddie Mercury, there are a few steps you should consider.

These first steps will get your body and voice ready to start practicing. It’s like warming up before a gym exercise; this prevents you from hurting your voice. Learning how to sing is much more fun when you don’t strain your vocal cords too much in the process.

Follow these tips to improve your singing voice and learn how to sing better. As AC/DC puts it: “It’s a long way to the top if you wanna rock ‘n’ roll.” In other words, learning to sing doesn’t come easy and requires some work. So remember to keep practicing, and soon you’ll be hitting high notes and navigating different vocal techniques with ease.

CONTROL YOUR BREATH

The most important tool for any singer is, of course, their voice. Your own voice is unique, so take good care of it. With time and practice, you’ll eventually find your own style of singing that suits you the best. One important aspect of singing and training your voice is practicing regularly with the help of breathing exercises and learning breath control.

The first step to maintaining your voice is to breathe correctly. If you take a breath now, does it feel like it’s mainly your shoulders and chest moving up? Whether you breathe like this naturally or not, it’s a very shallow way of breathing and something we want to avoid.

Luckily, this is something you can unlearn and improve your singing in the process. As a singer, you want to use a breathing technique called diaphragmatic breathing.

In diaphragmatic breathing, you use your stomach, diaphragm, and abdominal muscles to provide stability to your core. Not only is diaphragmatic breathing good for improving your overall singing technique, but it is also helpful for relaxing and reducing stress or anxiety. Practice breathing like this:

VOCAL TENSION

Now that we’ve got you conscious of your breathing, it’s time to release some tension. We’ll be focusing especially on your throat, jaw, and neck. After singing or doing some singing exercises, have your vocal cords ever felt exhausted and sore? Or does your neck pulse and feel sore like it would after a workout? If this sounds (and feels) familiar, you might have vocal tension.

Don’t worry, there’s something we can do to alleviate this tension and make you feel better. When you sing properly, you will not encounter such pain and tension. To continue with our earlier gym workout analogy, this is like stretching after a good exercise session or workout to help you recover and come back stronger for the next time.

First, stick your tongue out. That’s right. Get it out of your mouth and maybe give it a good stretch by making some circles. You may already feel some tension leaving your jaw and neck as you release your tongue.

As you sing, your tongue should be allowed to rest and not really take part in the process of making a sound. If you still feel like your neck is getting involved in your singing and your tongue is getting tense, try to sing while sticking your tongue out. This might sound and look silly, but trust us, it’s a great way to ease any tension you might have.

Sticking your tongue out while singing helps to ease the tension.

Tension in the neck and shoulders

Next, we’re going to relax your neck and shoulders. Many people raise their shoulders and tense their necks while singing. Similarly, many people may clench their jaws when they’re very focused on any activity that requires their attention. Be aware of this next time you’re practicing or doing some vocal exercises and see if this is a problem you’re having as well.

To help with tension in the neck and shoulders, we’re going to do a simple lengthening of the neck.

Proper posture for singing

In addition to relieving tension from the upper body, remember to also check that your posture is good. Learning correct posture is an integral part of becoming a great singer. As with playing any instrument, avoid slouching over and pay attention that your core muscles are providing enough support for the rest of your body.

Stand up with your knees unlocked. You can think about standing in a moving bus without holding on to anything. What kind of strength and support would you need from your legs in that situation? If your knees were locked and your legs were stiff, you would fall instantly. Instead, think of a strong but elastic support from your legs, butt, and back. This leaves your upper body and stomach free so you can do the deep breathing we talked about earlier.

Warm up your vocal cords

The importance of warming up before beginning to sing can’t be emphasized enough. Like muscles of your body, you can hurt your voice and vocal cords with improper preparations and no warm-up. Proper singing warm-up also helps you to expand your vocal range and strengthen your voice. This allows you to sing for longer periods of time without your voice getting tired, for instance.

Here’s how to warm up when you practice singing :

You can find helpful singing warm-up exercises in Yousician by navigating to the Learn → Workouts tab.

TRAIN AND IMPROVE YOUR SINGING VOICE

There are no shortcuts to becoming a great singer, but that doesn’t mean the learning process has to be boring. Try to create a routine from the different exercises we’ve listed. Perhaps you can start your mornings by concentrating on your breathing before getting out of bed or cheer up your neighbors by giving them a demonstration of your vocal range while making breakfast.

The most important thing is to practice whenever you have the time and you will not be interrupted. As you make daily practice a part of your routine, you’ll notice your voice and singing improve in leaps. Even if you’re in a hurry, try to squeeze in at least 10 minutes of singing practice every day.

Later you can even check if your vocal range has improved. This is a great way to track your progress and hear the improvements in your singing voice and vocal range. As your vocal range increases, you’ll be able to sing high notes that you couldn’t reach before. Or maybe your goal is to go lower to hit those bassy low notes.

Yousician helps you to find your vocal range.

How to sing: Tips for improving your singing

LEARN TO SING WITH YOUR FAVORITE SONGS

You’ve now made your way through a bunch of facts about singing, and are eager to start using your voice now. That’s the spirit. After all, what really keeps one from practicing is motivation, and in the case of singing, motivation often comes from singing the songs you actually like. Sing songs you enjoy to improve your singing voice, and practicing won’t even feel like work. Who said learning how to sing better has to feel like a chore?

Luckily, Yousician has a variety of well-known songs from different genres and artists to choose from. You can also set up the difficulty according to your skills when searching for songs to sing.

So, choose a song that you like and start your journey of becoming a better singer. Soon you’ll be able to sing along to Freddie Mercury’s live improvisation!

Sing Smarter: 10 Great Ways to Teach Yourself to Sing

Private lessons are expensive!

And while singing lessons are the best way to improve your voice, the internet has made it easier than ever to teach yourself to sing for free.

If you’ve wondered how to teach yourself to sing, apps are available for that.

What is the best app for learning to sing? Do you have a favorite “Teach yourself to sing” app? Let me know in the comments! I’m always looking for suggestions.

In terms of online resources, there’s YouTube, blogs, and even online singing lessons.

YouTube especially is filled to the brim with “learn how to sing for beginners” video tutorials (including mine!).

If you want to teach yourself to sing online, Reddit is another option. There are all kinds of “Teach yourself to sing” Reddit threads to choose from.

There’s even a “how to teach yourself to sing” Wikihow, if you’ve ever stumbled across that. Want to teach yourself to sing opera? There’s a WikiHow for that! (Probably.)

But all these online resources got me thinking about something: what is the best way to learn to sing by yourself?

So if you can’t afford private lessons right now, teaching yourself to sing online is one of the best ways to get started.

Bonus Upgrade: Download 10 daily exercises you can use to teach yourself to sing.

So, is it possible to teach yourself to sing? Absolutely!

What do you call a person who can’t sing?

Dead. (LOL!)

In my professional opinion, as long as you don’t have any medical issues affecting your voice, you can learn to sing period.

The list of legendary self-taught singers goes on forever: Louis Armstrong, Janis Joplin, Prince, David Bowie, Anna Calvi, and all four of the Beatles.

Can you learn to sing or is it a natural talent? While there’s no denying that some people have a natural predilection for singing, I promise anyone who wants to sing can learn to do it!

Is it difficult to learn to sing by yourself? It can be, but like all good things, the more you do it the easier it becomes!

Can I learn to sing if I have no talent? Can a terrible singer become good? First of all, stop that. You’re not a terrible singer. Of course you have talent!

Today we’ll talk about how to access that talent, how to start singing for beginners.

As a voice teacher giving singing lessons for beginners, I’ve worked with a lot of students who taught themselves at first.

And while some are more successful than others when it comes to self-taught singing, you can’t go wrong by starting off with the correct singing techniques.

So how many hours a day should you practice singing?

Here’s the good news:

If you follow my advice and some great vocal exercises, you can improve your voice in only 30-60 minutes a day.

And I promise, if you master the foundations in this article, you won’t believe how far you can get on your own!

So today, let’s look at some great singing tips for beginners. Here are 10 easy steps for how to learn singing at home for free.

10 Easy Steps You Can Follow to Start Teaching Yourself to Sing

Ready to learn how to teach yourself to sing well? Read on…

By the way, if you want to watch a great video to walk you through these exercises step-by-step, check this out:

Learn to sing with interactive lessons

Ready to explore your love of music? Learning to sing has never been this fun and easy. Warm up your vocal cords and let’s get singing!

Everything you need to learn how to sing in one app

Whether you’re a complete beginner or a seasoned vocalist, you can practice singing with Yousician. Start finding your own voice with our interactive online lessons regardless of your skill level and singing experience.

Learn by following our lesson plans created by real music teachers and skilled singers and practice with singing challenges and interactive tutorials. Yousician’s unique music learning technology keeps you motivated as you earn rewards, reach goals, and improve your voice and singing skills.

Yousician teaches you breath support, melody, harmony, intervals, scales, vocal range, tone and pitch control, ear training, solfege, and so much more. Sing along with our interactive lessons and vocal exercises to fulfill your dream of becoming a skilled singer and an experienced vocalist.

“Yousician is easy to follow and offers helpful visual feedback … its extensive lessons on technique and music theory make it clear that Yousician is no toy.”

“The app caters to every level of ability, the videos are intuitive and accessible, and you can go at your own pace, so you don’t feel hurried or pressured.”

“If you’re looking for an engaging way to start learning to play guitar … Yousician is modern technology’s gift to music education.”

Learn at your own pace with online singing lessons

Slow songs down, repeat parts until you’ve mastered them, and increase tempo gradually until you nail the high notes, sing in tune and keep up with the lyrics. You can practice challenging techniques whenever the time and place is right for you. Just like your voice, your learning path is unique.

No accessories needed

Start singing right away. There’s no need for additional microphones or accessories. All you need is your voice and a phone, tablet, desktop computer or laptop to use the app. Yousician works with iOS, Android, Mac and PC, so you can start your singing lessons on any device.

Get instant feedback

Learning with Yousician’s singing lessons is fun, fast and motivating thanks to our award-winning technology that listens to your voice. The app gives you instant feedback on the timing and accuracy of your singing. You always know when you’re hitting the right notes and singing in tune. Follow the real-time feedback and learn to sing better in no time.

Try our Premium+ plan free for 1 week

FAQ about learning to sing

How to learn singing effectively?

As you learn to sing, finding the right way to practice is essential. Just like your singing voice, the way you learn to sing the best is unique to you. If you want to become a better singer, start off by setting goals that are simple and realistic. You don’t have to sound like Freddie Mercury overnight. It also helps to create a routine that you can follow consistently. But don’t be too hard on yourself. Learning to sing should be fun as well. It’s also not a bad idea to record yourself singing or use some other method to track your progress. And make sure to increase the challenge as you improve. Staying in your comfort zone is fine, but to make progress, you’ll want to try new things.

How can I improve my singing as a beginner?

How do I find my own vocal range?

Do I need a microphone to follow Yousician’s singing lessons?

A song is too high or low for me to sing. What should I do?

Ready to start singing?

Sing the songs you love with Yousician.
Try Premium+ free for 7 days. Sign up and start learning now.

How To Sing!

25 Steps To Become A Better Singer

By Camille van Niekerk

Hi, future singer! I’m glad you’re here.

The following 25 steps are meant to be followed in order. If you have some singing experience, you may find that you don’t need to spend a lot of time on some of the steps (like matching pitch, for example). But if you’re a total beginner, we’ve got you covered!

Expect to spend a decent amount of time working through this list. Each step is actionable and will take time (days, weeks, maybe even months). There’s no benefit to rushing through!

Take your time, dedicate yourself to regular practice, and you’ll see progress. If at any time you get stuck, reach out to us on the Singer Forum and we will be happy to help!

Let’s get into it!

1. Set a goal

Actually, set more than one! Clear, realistic goals will help you stay focused and motivated as you continue to learn and develop your voice.

A few considerations for goal setting:

Make It Specific

Rather than a goal of “singing really high”, how about: “increase my comfortable range by 1 whole step”)

Be Realistic

If you’re new to singing, set manageable goals that you can really see yourself achieving. Instead of “mastering Beyonce’ and Freddie Mercury’s most challenging songs”, choose songs that are almost “singable” right now, but that provide a little bit of a challenge. Singers who set unrealistic goals tend to get discouraged very easily and give up when they lose heart.

Break Long-Term Goals Into Smaller Tasks

Example: “Sing at a karaoke bar” could become: “research good karaoke songs for my range”, “try out a few different songs”, “decide on a song”, “learn the melody and lyrics”, “rehearse with the karaoke track at home”, “practice in front of a friend or family member”, “choose a date”, and “sing at the bar”.

Write It Down

It’s easy to get lost and confused when you’re learning a ton of new information. Return to your goals to remind yourself what you’re working toward!

2. Learn about (and practice) good vocal health

Your voice is part of your body. It’s irreplaceable! And although it’s very powerful, it’s also delicate and susceptible to damage if you don’t take care of it.

To practice good vocal health:

3. Learn to match pitch

First, what is pitch? Pitch is the highness or lowness of a note. Matching pitch means that you can hear a pitch and sing that same pitch back.

If you’re working with a voice teacher, they can help guide you through this process! If you’re self-guided, a great way to work on matching pitch is with an app!

See below for more info on an app called SingTrue. The app will guide you through different pitch matching exercises and display your pitch on a graph, so you can visualize whether you might be singing lower or higher than the desired pitch.

4. Find your comfortable, useable vocal range

Your vocal range will probably expand as you train your voice! But it’s helpful to start with an idea of your range right now.

Once you’ve determined your vocal range, you know approximately which pitches (and songs) are within your reach. For example, if you’re a guy with a bass or baritone range, you’ll really struggle to sing most songs by Bruno Mars (in his same octave). Likewise, if you’re a soprano, you might hurt yourself trying to sing as low as Adele or Lauren Daigle.

With your vocal range as a guideline, you’re set up for success! Now, when you search for a vocal warmup routine or a song to learn, include your vocal range in the search. This way, you won’t be straining and struggling to hit notes that you really shouldn’t be worried about.

Proper alignment is fundamental to healthy singing technique. Good posture ensures that we’re working with our body and how it functions best, instead of fighting against it to force a good sound.

So let’s learn good posture from the ground up!

This posture should make your body feel tall, supported, open, and energized. It may not come naturally in the beginning, but it will help you to breathe and sing at your very best.

Two specific warnings: beware of the shoulders and ribs collapsing in and down, and beware of the chin or jaw reaching forward.

Start your singing practice by stretching out and finding this posture, every time!

6. Learn the “singer’s breath”

Breath is our fuel! And breathing well is crucial to singing with consistency and stamina.

The goal is to take relaxed, silent breaths (usually through the mouth, since our mouth has to be open to sing), and to breathe in such a way that the belly, ribs, and back all expand.

We want to avoid shallow breaths, or clavicular breathing, in which the chest rises and falls. This causes tension where we don’t want it!

Rather, relax your abdominal muscles and let your belly expand and contract as you breathe in and out. If you’re having trouble with this, try the following:

Build the habit of taking deep, relaxed belly breaths throughout your day to calm your body and train this “singer’s breath”,

Note: careful to not over-breathe! Over time, your body will learn how much breath is needed for a given phrase. But don’t confuse “deep breathing” for filling up to the max. If you take in more air than you need, tension will result, as your body now has to hold all that extra air back.

7. Engage the correct muscles for breath support

Breath support can be a bit elusive for beginning singers, so let’s break it down.

Many singers (and even teachers) will use phrases like “breathe from the diaphragm” or “sing from the diaphragm” when talking about support. (FYI: the diaphragm, if you haven’t heard of it, is a dome-shaped sheet of muscle separating the thorax from the abdomen.) What they’re trying to get at is this idea of creating some intra-abdominal pressure to hold back your air so that your breath and body are supporting the sound, rather than you trying to push or control the sound from your throat.

In reality, the diaphragm is an involuntary muscle! When we inhale, the lungs expand and the diaphragm contracts down. When we exhale, the lungs contract and the diaphragm relaxes back up.

Our goal is to slow the upward movement of the diaphragm as we sing/exhale. How do we do that? By using the muscles of our low abdomen and pelvic floor.

Feel these muscles working with a simple hiss exercise:

12 Count Hiss Exercise

Learn more about breath support and the pelvic floor with our tutorial on Pro breath support

8. Become familiar with common vocal warm-up patterns (scales & arpeggios)

Most vocal warm-ups and exercises are built using the major scale, which sounds like this: